Quick look: Through original lyrics and a familiar tune, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School fifth-grade students used music to share what they learned about saying no to drugs and making healthy choices as part of OCDE’s Youth Substance Use Prevention program.
Forming healthy habits and building strong character is a top priority for students at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Santa Ana — and they have found a creative way to share that message with their peers.
Set to the tune of Raffi’s “Down By the Bay,” the Santa Ana Unified School District students wrote and performed their own rendition, “Here at King School,” to showcase what they have learned about drug prevention and healthy decision-making. Written by the students themselves, the lyrics highlight setting goals, making positive choices, resisting peer pressure and saying no to drugs. Watch their music video above.
Their message was inspired by a similar public service announcement titled “Stop and Think” created by Hope View Elementary students in the Ocean View School District. Hope View’s prevention song was shared with King Elementary students as part of King’s own curriculum, and it sparked an idea. After watching it in teacher Pam Morita-Hicks’ class, the fifth-graders were inspired to create a musical project of their own.
The fifth-graders recently completed a 10-week curriculum called Too Good for Drugs presented by OCDE’s Youth Substance Use Prevention program. Starting in January and wrapping up in March, the lessons helped students develop healthier coping strategies and life skills through activities and discussions. The curriculum also educated the class on the dangers of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and medication misuse, and how these substances can have long-term effects.
“Our goal is to build students’ health literacy by strengthening their knowledge and providing opportunities to practice real-life skills,” said Lisa Nguyen, project assistant at OCDE. “We want young people to feel more confident in setting reachable goals, making smart choices, managing feelings and saying no when it counts.”
After completing the curriculum, students were given the opportunity to plan a youth prevention project to share this message with their peers. Led by Nguyen and the OCDE team, Mrs. Morita-Hicks’ class participated in planning meetings where the students wrote their own lyrics, brainstormed visuals and rehearsed their performance. Their ideas came to life in a music video captured and produced by OCDE’s Media Services team.
Through sharing their performance, students from the class said they hoped to inspire other students to make healthy choices and spread awareness among their peers about the importance of staying drug-free.
OCDE’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Services brings free drug and alcohol education to schools and youth organizations in Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Irvine, Tustin, Orange, Stanton and Westminster.
Thanks to funding from the Orange County Health Care Agency, the program offers classroom presentations, peer-led projects, parent workshops and staff training at no cost. Additional support is also available through a network of regional providers, making it easy for schools and communities to get involved.
For more information and resources on the OCDE Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention Program, contact Coordinator Stephan Lambert at slambert@ocde.us.